Several recent articles in JCK magazine and on JCKonline.com have debated the of value F-commerce and m-commerce for today’s retail jewelers.
Both issues have been on the minds of JCK magazine readers, as many of them grapple with the difficulties of the turbulent and ever-changing marketplace. JCK senior editor Jen Heebner’s article in September 2011—Future Shop: The Ins and Outs of Facebook Commerce—had one jeweler who argued that an F-shop was “a natural evolution,” and another who “wouldn’t recommend doing it.” JCK senior editor Rob Bates outlined tips jewelers could use to prepare for m-commerce last May, while editorial assistant Stephanie Schaefer recently asked several jewelers about whether or not m-commerce was a necessity for retailers in 2012.
With nothing better to do on a Tuesday night, a couple of my Twitter companions tried to educate me on the level of importance these two issues have to the jewelry industry.
The biggest take away from the conversation was that jewelers should focus more on perfecting overall web strategy and e-commerce before seriously venturing into F-commerce or m-commerce (thanks to JCK marketplace manager Brittany Siminitz for articulating that again at the end of the evening!).
For those curious, these were the questions I asked. Feel free to express your own views in the comment section, or reply to @danielfford on Twitter and use the hashtag #socialjewels.
- Is F-commerce something an independent retail jeweler should be looking into right now?
- What should jewelers’ objectives be with F-commerce?
- How do jewelers determine what items are the best to promote on F-commerce?
- How do jewelers measure their return on time, sweat equity, and any ad dollars they are spending with Facebook?
- Is m-commerce something an independent retail jeweler should be looking into right now?
- How should jewelers objectives be with m-commerce right now?
- Can independent jewelers compete with BlueNile (and other online seller’s low margins) with F and m-commerce?
Here are 5 of my favorite tweets from Tuesday’s chat:
@danielfford Q3 I usually go with lower price items and special deals #socialjewels
— WendyBrandes (@WendyBrandes) February 29, 2012
@danielfford A5 Absolutely~ people love the instant ability to find & purchase straight from their phone (at least I do!) #socialjewels
— Keturah Welker (@KeturahJeweler) February 29, 2012
A5 and with that said @danielfford, as retailers get not mobile-navigation needs to be “finger” easy–tablets & smartphones #socialjewels
— Barbara Mooty (@BarbaraMooty) February 29, 2012
A5: jewelry industry as a whole is behind the tech curve, so m-commerce is like going from a tricycle to a Ferrari. #socialjewels
— Don Greig (@FocusBMI) February 29, 2012
@danielfford absolutely, to me that’s like asking should an independent jeweler be looking into social media or e-commerce. #socialjewels
— Classic Creations (@CCJewellers) February 29, 2012
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